Nutrition & Dieting/Fat Free Salad Dressing

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Expert: Tim Santoro - 6/11/2013

QuestionQUESTION: I have read recently about nutrients in salads being fat soluble and the need for fat in order to get the most nutrition from a salad. I assume that if there is fat in the entree of the meal then that would replace the fat in the fat free dressing?

ANSWER: Hi Len,
Yes vitamins A,D,E and K are all fat soluble. This means they need fat to be utilized by the body.
Fat can come from any source, if there are nuts or oils in your salads, or if you have a side of meat.

The thing that I worry about with fat free dressing is sugar. Fat equals flavor. There is a reason steak taste better than chicken breast.
When you remove the fat from a food you lose the flavor. Food manufacturers remedy this by adding in sugar to improve the taste. This kind of defeats the purpose as sugar can be worse than fat.
another option is making your own. There is nothing wrong with an oil and vinegar dressing if you like that sort of thing. Olive oil is a great source of monounsaturated fat. and Vinegars has a host of health benefits. I like the taste of vinegar (balsamic, red wine, etc.) but I see where some people may find them to be too strong.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Understood but to be honest I generally just put a little vinegar and black pepper on my salad and don't bother with any oil.

AnswerThat sounds perfect. Just keep in mind if you ever want to use something like olive oil, a tablespoon worth will not likely have and adverse actions to your goals. It is actually beneficial as the fats in olive oil are usually used for energy production vs. fat storage.

Tim Santoro

Expertise

I can answer questions regarding the following. Confusion about basic nutrition, explain how to improve diet, when and how to eat better, eating for weight loss, eating for health, eating for fitness. I will answer questions about nutritional and workout supplements.
I will not endorse any fad diets, however I can explain the draw backs to them and explain why they are the wrong way to go.
I will not give advice relating to medications and/or their interactions with food and supplements.

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I have earned certifications in Fitness Training and Fitness Nutrition from ISSA. I also self taught and stay current on the fitness industry.
I lost 70 pounds training my self.